The present invention relates to the field of embroidery and monogramming and more specifically to a retaining device, which secures a lower magnetic hooping member in a hooping device during the preparation or “hooping” of an item to be embroidered.
In the embroidery industry “hoop” or “hoops” are referred to by many different terms, like frame, clamp, fabric holding device, fabric retaining device and fabric mounting frame. The definition of each of these terms is intended to apply to all of these terms to give these terms their broadest meaning individually and collectively as they are used interchangeably herein. In an instance where the term or terms have more than one meaning, all meanings will apply.
Various types of hoops and frames for holding an item to be embroidered are commonplace for both home embroidery and commercial embroidery machines. Generally, embroidery hoops comprise upper and lower hoops or clamping members that mate with one another. Cloth to be embroidered is placed between the clamping members, usually with a backing material also placed between the lower hooping member and the item to be embroidered. These types of hoops tightly pinch the material between the vertical sides of the upper and lower hooping members when the operator applies pressure to the upper hooping member to mate with the lower hooping member. Because of this, the lower hooping member needs to be adjusted for any change in thickness of the item to be hooped. There are also hoops that employ magnetic force, similar to the hoops of U.S. Pat. No. 7,607,399, to mate the upper and lower hooping members. However, these types of hoops create a potential problem during the mating of the upper hooping member to the lower hooping member. The magnetic attraction of the two hooping members will cause the lower hooping member to prematurely “jump” and mate with the upper hooping member. In other words, magnetic type hooping members can move before the two members are in contact with each other. This creates alignment and distortion problems of the item to be embroidered because the item to be embroidered can be moved when the lower hooping member “jumps.”
Prior art hooping devices used to hold and align magnetic hooping members for application to an item to be embroidered do not have any way to secure the lower hooping member so that it does not “jump” and distort the item to be embroidered before the upper and lower members properly mate. Therefore, there is a need for magnetic hooping devices to include a hooping member retaining mechanism to prevent the lower hooping member from “jumping” and mating with the upper hooping member when the upper hooping member is being lowered.
The present invention provides a retaining mechanism used with hooping devices or fixtures on a base plate or a framing board to retain the lower hooping member until the upper hooping member comes in contact with it. Then the retaining mechanism will automatically release the lower hooping member from the hooping device, or the operator will manually release the lower hooping member.
These and other features of the device will become evident with respect to the drawings and the detailed description.